Iranian diplomat says no value in Trump’s talks offer

Head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Kamal Kharazi, said Tehran saw no value in U.S. President, Donald Trump’s offer to meet Iranian president for talks without preconditions.

“Based on our bad experiences in negotiations with America and based on the U.S. officials’ violation of their commitments, it is natural that we see no value in Trump’s proposal,” Kharazi said.

“Iran does not trust the U.S. as a negotiating partner.

“The U.S. is not trustworthy. How can we trust this country when it withdraws unilaterally from the nuclear deal?” Interior Minister, Abdolreza Fazli was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

IRNA News Agency quoted Iran’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ali Motahari, as saying in London that it was not a good time for Iran to negotiate with the U.S.

“If Trump had not withdrawn from (Iran’s) nuclear deal (with world powers) and had not imposed sanctions on Iran, there would be no problem with negotiations with America.

“But, negotiating with the Americans would be a humiliation now,” Motahari said.

Trump said on Monday that he would be willing to meet Iran’s leader without preconditions, to discuss how to improve ties after he pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

“I’d meet with anybody. I believe in meetings, especially in cases where war is at stake,’’ Trump said at a White House news conference when asked whether he was willing to meet with Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani.

In response, Iran said the way back to talks was for the U.S. to return to the nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers that Trump exited in May.

“Respecting the Iranian nation’s rights, reducing hostilities and returning to the nuclear deal are steps that can be taken to pave the bumpy road of talks between Iran and America,” Hamid Aboutalebi, an adviser to Rouhani, tweeted on Tuesday.

Washington aims to force Tehran to end its nuclear programme and its support of militant groups in the Middle East, where Iran is involved in proxy wars from Yemen to Syria.

Iran and other signatories have been working to find a way to salvage the nuclear agreement, even as the U.S. has begun re-imposing some sanctions on Iran.

No U.S. president has met with an Iranian leader since Washington cut diplomatic relations with Tehran a year after the 1979 revolution that toppled the Shar, a U.S. ally.

Former President Barack Obama broke a three-decade freeze with a phone call to Rouhani in 2013.

The White House clarified that Trump’s potential willingness to meet with his Iranian counterpart did not change his administration’s intent to ratchet up sanctions and rhetoric against Tehran.

It is with the stated goal of “seeking changes in the Iranian government’s behaviour.”

But Trump’s remarks did represent a marked softening of tone from when he lashed out at Rouhani in a tweet a week ago.

He had said “Never, ever threaten the U.S. again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.”

Shortly before the tweet, Rouhani had addressed Trump in a speech, saying that hostile U.S. policies could lead to “the mother of all wars”.

On Monday, at a news conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, Trump said: “I would certainly meet with Iran if they wanted to meet. I don’t know that they’re ready yet.

“I ended the Iran deal. It was a ridiculous deal. I do believe that they will probably end up wanting to meet and I’m ready to meet any time that they want to.”

The White House said that even though the president “is open to dialogue and negotiation,” it did not mean the U.S. would lift sanctions or re-establish diplomatic and commercial relations.

“This relief is only possible if there are tangible, demonstrated and sustained shifts in Tehran’s policies,” said Garrett Marquis, spokesman for the National Security Council.
“Until then, the sting of sanctions will only grow more painful if the regime does not change course.”